What You Don't Know
by toreelyn
Summary: When a very protected substance is stolen from the government, it is up to a few young agents to get it back. Ross Lynch and two of his brothers, Riker and Rocky along with his long time best friend, Laura Marano, happen to be four of those people. Will they be successful and save the world...or will they fail?
1. Chapter 1

"Ready or not, here I come!" Ross yells out as he looks around for his friend. Laura giggles quietly as she hides behind a small bush. The five year old continues to search around for about ten minutes. "Okay Laura, I give up!". Laura giggles once again but this time, he hears it. He quietly sneaks up to the bush, "Found you!". Laura squeals as she runs away from him and he begins chasing her.

"Laura, it's time to come in and get cleaned up for dinner!" her mother, Ellen, calls out to her, standing on the front step of their house.

"Okay Mommy", she turns to Ross and says, "I have to go".

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow". She turns around and runs to her mom and excitedly starts telling her about how much fun she had today.

Ross' mom, Stormie, opens their front door and says, "Ross, it's time to come inside". He runs to her and walks into the house. "How's Laura?", Stormie asks him.

"She's good".

"How does she feel about tomorrow?".

"She's okay with it", he's pretty sure that she is talking about her coming to play with him tomorrow. "Where's Rocky?".

"Rocky is in his room with Riker". He smiles at her and then turns to walk up the stairs. He approaches his brother's doorway. He walks in to see his two older brothers talking with each other, "Hey guys".

Rocky looks up at him and smiles, "Hey Ross".

Ross walks over to them and says, "I was wondering if you guys wanted to play secret agents with me".

Riker replies, "That would be fun. We'll get Ryland and Rydel and play after dinner". Rocky and Riker get up and they accompany Ross downstairs to eat dinner. They all scarf down their food and quickly excuse themselves from the table so that they will have more time to play. They spend about an hour and a half playing.

Stormie eventually finds them in Ross' room and intervenes, "I am sorry to interrupt your guys' intense game, but it is time to get ready for bed". They obediently get up and pursue their nighttime routine. They take their baths, brush their teeth and say goodnight.

Once he's ready, Ross crawls onto his soft bed and his mother comes over to tuck him in. "Hey Mom? How would you like it if I was a secret agent?".

Stormie smiles. She has always loved her son's big imagination and how passionate he is about everything that came to his creative mind. "Well", she begins, "As long as you would be happy and doing good things, then I would be very proud if you were a secret agent. Why?" she sits next to him on his bed, "Do you want to be a secret agent?".

Ross' face lights up, "Yeah, when I grow up, I am going to be a spy that saves the whole world!".

"Of course you are", Stormie smiles and strokes his hair and kisses his forehead gently, "Goodnight, my little dreamer". She gets up, turns on his night light and walks out of the room leaving his door open just a crack.

The next morning, all the boys are sitting at the dining table enjoying a bowl of cereal, when Riker looks out the window and notices something going on across the street. "What's going on at Laura's house?".

"What?" Ross spins around and looks out the window and sees strange men loading large boxes into a huge truck, "That's weird". He excuses himself from the table and walks across the street to a very confused Laura, who is just standing outside watching.

"Hey Laura, what's going on?" are the first words out of his mouth.

Laura shrugs, "I'm not really sure, but my parents put all of my stuff into boxes and these people are putting them into that truck". They continue to stand there, watching, as some of the men walk out the front door carrying a couch. "My mommy and daddy have been putting stuff into boxes for awhile now and I don't know why".

Ellen comes rushing over to Laura and grabs her arm gently, "Laura, there is no time for play right now. Say goodbye to Ross". She does as she is told as her mother leads her away. Ross walks back into his house and is greeted by his mom.

"Hey sweetie, did you say goodbye to Laura?". Ross nods and goes to join his brothers, who are playing video games in the living room.

The next day rolls around and the first thing Ross does is look out the window. He notices that the truck is gone, so he runs out the front door and across the street to Laura's door. He knocks and waits for a reply, but no one answers. This time, he rings the doorbell and still no answer. He walks over to one of the windows and looks inside. He is shocked to see that the house is empty. He is confused and runs back to his house in a panic, he finds his mother in the kitchen. "Mom, why is Laura's house empty?".

"Laura and her family moved away", she sees his face melt. "Didn't you know that?".

He looks down at his shoes and replies shakily, "No. They left?". He then says quietly, "I didn't even get to say goodbye".

Stormie's heart breaks as she sees her devastated child. She hugs him, "Oh Ross, I'm sorry. I thought you knew".

Ross pulls out of the hug turns around with his eyes brimming with tears and walks slowly up the stairs to his room. He sits down on his bed and begins to cry.

Riker notices that something is wrong after his brother walked past his room sniffling. He walks into Ross and Ryland's room and asks with concern, "What's wrong, Ross?".

Ross wipes tears from his face with his sleeve and says, "Laura moved away". Riker walks over to him and sits next to him on the bed. Ross then says, "I'm really going to miss her". Riker puts one arm around him.

Ross then wraps his arms tightly around Riker and begins to cry harder. Riker holds his younger brother tighter. He whispers, "I'm so sorry, Ross". He doesn't know what else to say to ease his brother's emotions so, instead, he just sits there with him until the tears quit falling.

Meanwhile, Laura is sitting in the back of her mom's car with her older sister Vanessa as they follow the moving truck driving in front of them. "Mommy, why did we empty our house out? Where are we going?".

"Laura, we are going somewhere else".

"Where are we going? Is it far?"

"We are going to Dallas".

"Where's that?".

"It's in Texas".

"Texas?" Laura screeches, "but that's so far away! Are we going to come back to Colorado?".

"No sweetie, we are not coming back to Colorado".

She becomes devastated as her mom crushes the little bit of hope that she had left. "But what about Ross?"

"Baby girl, you'll make new friends".

Laura is extremely upset at this point and is sobbing, "But I don't want to make new friends! I want Ross and Rocky and Riker and Rydel and Ryland!".

Ellen knew that breaking this news wasn't going to be easy. "I am sorry, Laura, but your father has found a better job". She's trying to calm down her five year old daughter, "You'll be able to get more stuff and meet new people, plus, this house is much bigger. You and your sister will be happy".

"I don't care! I want Ross!" she is now shouting.

"Laura Marie", Ellen says sternly, "That is quite enough". Laura looks out the window, tears streaming down her face. Vanessa reaches over to comfort her younger sister. She watches as they pass the large sign that reads, "You are now leaving Colorado". She then realizes, that they are really leaving and they aren't coming back.

(15 years later)

"Hey guys", Rocky says to Ross and Riker as he walks into their apartment.

"Hey Rocky, what's up?" Ross asks. He then notices something in his brother's arms. "What do you got there?".

Rocky looks down at the big box in his hands and replies, "Tomorrow is Ryland's birthday, remember?".

"Well of course I know it's our little brother's birthday tomorrow, but I thought we had everything".

"Yeah, everything except a cake", Riker adds.

Rocky sets the cake down on the table and plops down into a chair next to Riker. "I can't believe he's turning 19 years old".

Ross nods in agreement, "I feel so old".

"Well, guys, we all have a day off tomorrow due to Ryland's birthday and everyone meeting at Mom and Dad's, so why don't we go to the club and have a good time?" Riker suggests. His younger brothers agree and they all head out the door and head over to the club.


	2. Chapter 2

Laura and Vanessa walk into Laura's new apartment with a huge box full of stuff. She sets it down next to the rest of the full boxes and turns to her mom. "Well, that's the last box", she leans against the wall and wipes her forehead. Changing the subject, she says, "Mom, you said when we had left Colorado that we weren't coming back".

"How do you remember that? You were five".

"Trust me, we remember more than you think", Vanessa says. Laura walks over to her already opened water bottle and takes a drink.

Ellen sits on the old couch that they gave to their daughter, "So do you have connections with your friends in Dallas?".

"Yes, I do".

Do you have Emma's number?".

"Mom", rolling her eyes, "I haven't talked to Emma in two years".

"Really?" she looks disappointed, "I liked Emma".

It feels awkward with this conversation. "So are Andy and Dad over at your place, Vanessa?". Andy is Vanessa's long time boyfriend.

"Yes", her older sister answers.

"Does Andy like it?".

"I hope so".

Laura nods, "Well, I'm going to start unpacking. I need to make this place feel like home".

"Yeah, and I should go help Andy with our apartment", Vanessa adds.

Ellen stands up and approaches her, "If you need anything call us. We are only down the street". She pulls Laura into a tight hug, "I love you".

Ellen is hugging Laura so tight that she is having a hard time catching her breath, "I love you, too, Mom. I will be alright". She pulls out of the smothering hug.

Ellen takes a moment to look at her beautiful daughter's dark brown eyes. "I am so proud of you. It's going to be weird without your presence in our home", she looks over to Vanessa, "Both of you". She begins to walk to the door. "Remember if you need anything, gas, money, food, love, we are near. Oh, and don't forget to call me. Also, don't forget to get quarters to do your laundry and make sure you make time to eat".

Vanessa begins ushering her mother out the door, "Mom, she'll be fine. Don't worry".

Before her mother can say anymore Laura says a final, "I love you", and closes the door. She turns around and leans against the door and lets out a sigh of relief. She walks over to one of the many boxes and opens it. She pauses and looks at all the stuff in the box, "Screw it, I'm going out". She grabs her sweater, keys and purse and walks out the door.

Ross, Rocky and Riker all walk into the busy club. They become surrounded by shouting drunks and people dancing and grinding on each other. They make their way over to the counter. They ask the bartender for three beers. They ask each other about work and if anything interesting happened during the day. Rocky suddenly becomes distracted by a girl across the bar. He takes another swig of his beer and then gets up and walks over to her. "Well that will be the last time we see him tonight", Riker says, amused. Suddenly a girl sits down next to Riker and bumps him, almost knocking him out of his seat.

"I'm so sorry. I'm a klutz".

"It's fine, don't worry about it", he looks at the girl. She has long golden brown hair and big brown eyes. She has a soft pretty face. She seems so familiar, then it clicks. "Laura?".

Laura turns back to look at him, she's surprised, "Riker?".

Without looking away from her, he nudges Ross, causing Ross to spill some of his beer. "What the hell, Riker?". Suddenly he catches her eye and just sits there speechless.

With the same expression, she asks, "Ross?".

"I don't believe it. Laura?".

"Oh my God!" she jumps up and gives both of them a hug, "I have missed you guys so much!".

Ross has a huge smile spread across his face, ear to ear, "I can't believe this! You came back!".

Laura begins looking around the bar, "Where is everyone else?".

"Well Rocky is off somewhere flirting with some girl and Rydel and Ryland aren't here", Riker says.

"So Rocky's become quite the ladies' man", Laura says with a smile.

Suddenly, Rocky walks up. "Speak of the devil", Ross says, looking down at his empty beer bottle.

Rocky has a cocky smile on his face, "Guess what, guys? I got a lovely girls number". The smile slowly melts from his face and is replaced with an expression of shock.

Riker updates him, "Laura's back".

"Hey Rocky", she smiles.

"What the- Laura!", he gives her a huge hug. He takes a seat next to his brothers and asks for another beer. "What brings you back to Colorado?".

"Honestly, my dad decided he likes it better here, after 15 years", she rolls her eyes.

"God", Ross is still smiling, "I'm so glad you're back".

Laura nods in agreement, "Yeah, me too. You guys look great", she lightly ruffles Ross' wavy blond hair. "So anything big happen while I was gone?".

"Rydel has a boyfriend. His name is Ellington Ratliff, but we just call him Ratliff", Rocky says.

"Tomorrow is Ryland's birthday", Riker mentions.

"No way!" Laura says excitedly, "How old is he now? I'm going to have to see him".

This reminds Riker of the birthday party tomorrow. "He's turning 20. You should bring Vanessa and come and join us at our parents' house".

"That sounds like fun. I'll have to kidnap Vanessa for awhile from Andy, her boyfriend", Laura laughs, "Do your folks still live in the same house?".

"No", Ross grabs a napkin and writes down the address of the new house and slides it over to Laura, "Here's the address".

"I'm sorry to have to cut this short, but we have to be getting back to our apartment so we can help get ready for Ryland's party tomorrow, but, Laura, it's great to see you again", Riker gives her a hug.

Rocky gives her a hug next, "We have a lot to catch up on, and feel free to join us for Ryland's party, too".

"That I shall", Laura says with a grin, "It's so good to see you guys, like, you don't even know".

Ross gives her a last hug, "Oh trust me, I know. See you tomorrow". He follows his brothers out of the bar and they head back home.

The next afternoon, all of the brothers, Rydel and her boyfriend, Ellington Ratliff are at their parents' house adding last touches to the party stuff, when the doorbell rings. "I'll get it", Ross walks over to the front door and opens it. "Hey Laura", he looks over to the taller brunette next to her standing next to her. "Vanessa?" he smiles at her and gives her a hug. "Come on in", letting them through the door. He calls in the direction of the stairs, "Ryland, come down here, there is someone here to see you".

Ryland comes prancing down the stairs, "What?".

"Ryland, say hey to Vanessa and Laura".

"Hey!" he says excitedly, giving them both hugs.

"Happy birthday", they both say in unison.

"Thanks".

Ross suggests, "Ryland, why don't we show them around the new place?".

"Yeah, sure".

"Do you guys have a pool?" Vanessa asks.

"Yeah, we do! This one is better than the old one!". They head to the back door, talking excitedly about a water slide.

Laura lets out a little chuckle, "Okay then".

"I guess we're out", Ross agrees, "So are you working anywhere?".

She shakes her head, "Nope. I'm going to start job hunting tomorrow. I kind of have to pay this thing called rent. You familiar with the word?".

"Oh, all too well". They laugh. "Hang on, I am going to go check on something upstairs", Ross says before darting up the steps. Laura walks into the living room where Stormie, Mark, Rydel and Ratliff are sitting. Stormie jumps up and rushes over to Laura.

"Oh my goodness! Laura, is it really you? You are so beautiful and grown up!. She gives Laura a nice hug. "So how is Ellen doing?" she asks.

"She's good. Glad to be back, as are all of us".

"Laura!" Rydel exclaims running to her and engulfing her in a hug.

"Delly!" Laura says back, as they rock in their hug.

"Ross missed you so much, lady", Rydel says, pulling out of the hug.

"I missed him too! I missed all of you", she smiles kindly.

"Let me introduce by boyfried, Ellington, but we just call him Ratliff", Rydel says as a brown haired guy comes to give Laura a hug. "He is the drummer in the band that Riker, Ross, Rocky and I all put together".

"You have a band?" Laura is excited.

"Yeah, Ross is the lead singer, Riker plays the bass, Rocky is the lead guitarist, I play the keyboard and Ratliff is the drummer".

"How's it going?" Laura asks.

"Well right now we are just playing little gigs in town, but hopefully one day will be international rockstars", Ratliff says, nudging Rydel.

"Hopefully", she says, smiling at him.

"You guys are major cute", Laura says with a laugh.

"Alright", Stormie calls out to everyone, "It's time to come down for dinner and presents!". Everyone joins each other at the table and enjoys a meal of spaghetti and homemade meatballs with a side of garlic bread. They eventually finish off the party with cake, then everyone says their goodbyes and leave to wherever they need to go.

Once Laura gets home, she calls Ross. They sit on the phone for awhile, just talking. "So, I hear you guys have a band", Laura says.

"Oh yeah, we are called R5".

"I would love to hear some of your guys' stuff".

"Definitely", Ross confirms. "I'll send you a link to one of our videos".

"You better", Laura says and Ross laughs. "So I need to talk to my mother tomorrow", Laura mentions.

"Why? About what?".

"Living on my own, and being able to be independent and to take care of myself", Laura lets out a big sigh, "She just smothers me, it's like 'Mom, I need to breathe', you know?".

"Well has something happened to you before? Has something happened to Vanessa? Perhaps she's just having a hard time letting you go. Mom was extremely clingy when Riker first moved out, she'll adjust. Just give her some time".

"I don't know. It's just really annoying me".

Ross tries to lighten the mood, "I bet I can be 10 times more annoying than she can".

"Ha! I highly doubt that".

"Is that a challenge?".

Laura can't help but laugh, "No. Not at all. Please don't".

"Are you sure? Because I will go to all different levels to make it happen".

Laura laughs at his teasing, "You have not changed one bit".

There is a silent pause on the other end, "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?".

"Oh, don't worry. It's a good thing. You are the same Ross Lynch I used to know and I love it".

"Good. I aim to please".

Laura can't quit smiling, "Well, it's getting late. I should probably let you go. I have to get up and find a job", she lets out another huge sigh.

"Yeah, I have work tomorrow, so I shall bid you goodnight. Sweet dreams, and good luck with talking to your mom tomorrow".

"Yeah, thanks".

"Bye. I'll talk to you tomorrow".

"Bye Ross", she hangs up and gets up to shut her window before taking one last glance at the clear night sky. She goes into her bathroom and gets ready for bed and gets into her red plaid pajamas and pulls on a white t-shirt. She sits down on her bed and then realizes that the window is open. "Did I not just close that?", she's extremely suspicious. She gets up and shuts it again, this time locking it. She looks around the room cautiously, and that is when she sees that her closet door is open a crack. Feeling very paranoid now, she grabs a large flashlight, just in case she needs to defend herself. She slowly approaches the closet door and quickly whips it open. She flashes the light inside. It's empty. She lowers her flashlight and puts her hand to her face, "Oh my God, Laura, this is ridiculous". She closes the closet door, trying to calm herself down. She gets under her blanket on her bed and reaches over to turn off her lamp. She finally begins to doze off when she hears something. She sits up with a start and opens her eyes, but it's too dark to see anything. "Who is there?", she waits for a reply, but never receives one. "I said, who is there? I'm fucking serious", she can't control her voice from shaking. She reaches over to turn on her lamp but as she's reaching over she feels something reach around her and places something over her nose and mouth, dragging her off the bed. She fights and struggles, but the grip is too strong. Suddenly, she can't fight anymore and she begins to slow down as she loses the battle and slowly slips out of consciousness.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Ellen knocks on Laura's apartment door. She grabs the doorknob and it smoothly turns and she opens the door. The door is unlocked. That can't be good. "Laura, are you here? I have been trying to get a hold of you for two and a half hours". She looks out the window and notices that Laura's car is still in the parking lot. She walks into her room and realizes that her phone and purse are sitting on her dresser. "Laura? Laura, where are you?". She frantically runs around the apartment looking for her youngest daughter, but she's nowhere to be found. She's now incredibly worried. "Laura!?". She pulls out her cell phone and dials a number and places the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" Vanessa asks in a groggy voice.

"Have you seen Laura?" Ellen asks in a panic.

"What?" Vanessa is barely awake.

"Your sister! Have you seen her? Is she with you guys?".

"No, Mom. Is everything okay?".

"Laura's gone!" she says loudly.

"Where is she?".

"I don't know, Vanessa! Her car and things are still here, and I have no clue where she could possibly be!" she is freaking out.

"Alright, Mom. Calm down. I'm going to head over there now. Just let me get dressed", Vanessa says calmly. "Don't worry, Mom. We'll find her. See you soon", she hangs up.

Ellen immediately dials another number.

"Hello?".

"Stormie?" Ellen asks in panic.

"Hey Ellen, is everything okay?" she asks with concern.

"Laura's gone!" she tries to catch her breath as she begins to panic.

"Alright, Ellen, calm down. What is going on?".

"Laura! She's gone! I've been calling her for hours and she didn't pick up, so I came over to her apartment and she's not here and her door was unlocked. Her car, phone, and purse are all here but she isn't!".

"It's alright, Ellen. Maybe she went on a walk. Perhaps she just needed a break. Moving can be very overwhelming".

Ellen is now trying to calm herself down, "Well, could you guys let me know if you see her?".

"We most certainly will, dear".

"Alright, thank you so much", Ellen hangs up and decides to go outside and sit on a bench near the apartment, waiting for Vanessa to show up and hoping that her young daughter will show up soon.

"Ross, your job is to clean the instruments, not play them", his boss, Brenda, tells him as she walks by and to the front register.

He sets down the wooden drum sticks next to the black drum set he was beating on, "Sorry, you caught me again".

"You didn't think I would catch you?" she asks, amused, "How long has it been since you started working for me? Since you were 16, so five years? I'm pretty sure by now I know that you would rather play than work".

He smiles while dusting down the drum set, "Guilty as charged". Just then, the telephone rings and Brenda picks up. She listens intently. Whatever is being said over the phone must be serious by the expression on her face. She hangs up and turns to Ross.

"Ross, you are needed down at Town Hall, so you get the rest of the day off".

He is surprised, "Do you know why they need me?".

"No, but they say it is very urgent, so get going. I'll see you tomorrow".

With that, Ross packs up his stuff and leaves the building. He quickly drives over to Town Hall, where he sees Riker's and Rocky's cars parked as well. He quickly jumps out of the car and goes into the building. He walks up to the receptionist. She is a slender, blonde lady, dressed in a nice tan suit.

Without asking any questions she says, "Ross Lynch, someone in that room would like to see you". She points across the hall to a tall wooden door.

"May I ask who?".

She looks at him with a business like expression, "That is to remain private". He nods to her in thanks and walks to the door and opens it. He sees his older brothers already sitting at the table in the middle of the room. There is a door in the corner of the room which has an exit sign over it.

"Guys, what are you doing here?".

Rocky looks at him with the same confusion, "We don't know. It must be urgent, because they pulled us out of work to come here".

"This isn't weird at all", Ross looks around the room suspiciously. They all jump as the door opens and three men walk in dressed in black suits. The man who appears to be the one in charge stood at the front. He has medium length light brown hair and green eyes. He is very tall.

"Who are you?" Riker asks.

The first man that walked in looks at Riker, "I can't give you that information".

"Well then, we don't feel comfortable with talking to you", Rocky says, a bit irritated.

The man pulls some sort of recording device out of his suit pocket and pushes a button. A voice bursts out of it and says, "What's going on? Where am I? Let me go! What do you want from me?".

Ross recognizes the voice and stands up, "What have you done to Laura?".

The man places the device back into his pocket and calmly says, "Now, if you cooperate with us, you will be able to see Laura very soon".

Ross then stands up and places his hands on the table, "Wait, we demand to know what is going on right now".

Still calm, the man looks at Ross, "Ross, cooperate and you will soon find out".

Ross is feeling very irritated at this point, "I am not cooperating with you in any way until I know that Laura is okay and where she is".

"Ross, don't make us do this the hard way".

"Fuck this", Ross pushes past the man and tries to open the door but it is locked. "What the hell is going on here?" he's beginning to raise his voice.

"Ross, please just listen". Ross begins pounding on the door. "Ross, I'm sorry it has to be like this".

"What the hell are you talking about?". One of the men behind the leader walks over to Ross, so he is standing behind him. Suddenly, Ross feels a hard pinch on the side of his neck as the man behind him injects him with some kind of drug. He falls limply to the floor. Rocky and Riker call his name in unison once he hits the floor.

Rocky runs to the door and makes his own attempt to open the locked door. "You locked us in!?" he turns to the man in anger, "This is against the law! You can't do this!".

"Actually, we can".

Rocky is livid now, "What!?".

Riker goes over to Rocky and gently puts a hand on Rocky's shoulder, "Rocky, you need to calm down".

Rocky nudges his older brother's hand off, "Riker, they just drugged our younger brother! He is lying unconscious on the floor!" One of the men walks up to Rocky and whacks him over the head, knocking him out, his shoulder length brown hair falling over his face. Riker catches him before he hits the ground.

"Well that's one way to do it", the man says nonchalantly.

Riker looks up from attending to his brother and looks at the man helplessly. "Why are you doing this?".

"Mr. Lynch, this can be so much easier for you if you come with us willingly".

Riker looks over at Ross and notices that one of the men are pulling a black sack over his head and tying him up at the wrists. "What are you doing to Ross?". He then sees the other man tying up Rocky at the wrists, as well. Rocky begins to come back to consciousness.

"Ow, my head". He tries to reach up to gently touch his head but notices that there is rope tied around his wrists. He is fully conscious now, "What are you doing?" he looks over and sees Ross, "What are you doing with Ross?". He then has a black sack pulled over his head, "Hey!".

The man informs them, "Ross is going to be perfectly fine. The drug should wear off in about a couple hours".

Rocky continues to fight the men restraining him. Riker calmly says, "Rocky, don't fight".

"Riker, what's going on?" he sounds almost scared now.

"I don't know, Rocky. Just do what they say". They finally pull a black sack over his head and tie him at his wrists.

"Now, we are going to lead you out. If you just do what we say this will be much easier". They are then led out the back door and are seated into a black SUV and are taken away, with no idea of what's going on, what's going to happen to them, or where they are going.


	4. Chapter 4

The men drag the boys out of the vehicle and are being roughly pulled along into a building. They can't tell much about the building, but they figure it is very large with the sounds and smells giving away the environment, almost like when you walk into a very large bank. They continue being led along, continually bumping into things. They stop and are blinded by light as the black sacks are removed from their heads and they are thrown into a dark room. They all hit the ground hard, like concrete. They roll over onto their sides and groan in pain as the door slams behind them and they are in total darkness. Rocky and Riker push themselves up into a sitting position, not knowing what to do, so they just sit their quietly.

Suddenly, a small, scared, shaky voice fills the room, "Hello?".

The boys are startled at the fact that, either, they are hearing things or that there is actually someone else in the room. "Hello?" Riker asks.

The voice replies with a little more alert, "Who are you?".

Rocky stops and thinks. He's heard this voice before. It suddenly clicks, "Laura?".

Laura lets out a long sigh of relief and smiles. She is so happy that she's not alone now. "Rocky? What are you guys doing here?".

Rocky doesn't hesitate to jump on that answer, "Some really weird guys had us pulled out of work and kidnapped us. I take it that they have kidnapped you, too". He tries to move his hands, only to remember that his hands are still tied behind his back. "Are you tied up as well?".

"Yeah", she struggles to get her hands free, but it's useless. Her wrists are sore and it's just not worth working that hard.

Riker intervenes, "How long have you been here?".

"Since last night, right after I got off the phone with Ross", she drops her head and just sits there, uncomfortable and tired. She's been worrying about one thing, "I hope that my mom is okay. She's probably freaking out".

Riker asks, "Can't you call her?".

"No, they took my phone".

"Well, here", Rocky reaches, as best as he can, to his back right pocket, where he usually keeps his phone, "You can use mine". He feels for it some more and then he tries his other pocket and has no such luck, so he starts feeling the floor around him. "Where's my phone", he continues to feel for it, "Riker, do you have your phone?".

Riker begins feeling around for his phone as well, "Damn, they must have taken our phones when they brought us in".

They all just sit there, hopeless and incredibly frustrated. Laura finally realizes that she hasn't heard a word from Ross, "Where's Ross?".

Rocky suddenly remembers. He feels a bit guilty for not even realizing that Ross is not a part of this whole conversation, "Fuck, where is he?".

"Well, calling out for him won't do any good. Feel around for him", Riker begins to crawl around feeling around for his younger brother.

"Wait! What!?" Laura has no idea what they are talking about, but the worst things are popping into her head about what has happened to Ross. Is he hurt? Is he dead? She tries to calm herself down and rid her mind of these ridiculous thoughts.

Riker puts her worry to rest, "They drugged him", he is still feeling around for him.

"Shit! What does the drug do to him? Is he going to be okay?" she immediately begins to feel around herself.

Riker replies, "Yeah, he should be fine".

What's wrong with him?".

"He's just unconscious right now", Riker hits a wall and hits his head, "Shit", he turns around and continues looking, "He should wake up any minute now".

They hear Rocky's voice from across the room, "Found him".

Riker begins trying to follow Rocky's voice, "Is he okay?".

"Yeah".

Laura and Riker slowly crawl their way over to Rocky and Ross. They sit there for about a minute and impatiently wait for a response from Ross. That is when they hear him groan. Everyone sits up with alert, waiting for him to say something. When they don't get any other response, Laura asks, "Ross, can you hear me?".

They all hear another moan and then a quiet raspy voice, "Laura? Where are you?".

She gets closer to him so he can tell that she is right next to him, "I'm right here, Ross".

Everything begins coming back to him, "What happened? Did they do anything to you?".

"I'm fine".

"Where are Rocky and Riker?".

Rocky says, "We are right here".

Ross then pushes himself up so he can sit, instead of lying on the hard, cold ground, "You guys could have said something", he tries to look around but the darkness is too thick, "Where are we?".

Riker sarcastically answers, "A dark room".

Ross, doesn't even notice the sarcasm in his brother's voice, "Why?".

Riker begins feeling very overwhelmed, stressed and panicked, "Ross, we don't know. If we knew, we might not be here or we would tell you but we don't know".

Ross is shocked at the way Riker snaps, "Riker, you seem tense".

Rocky says, "Well, we were kidnapped".

Ross leans his head back against the wall. He feels frustrated because he has no clue what is going on and he has no control over the situation, "Why, though?".

Just then, the lights come on. They are all extremely blinded. They struggle to open their eyes so they can see who entered the room. Ross still can't see but he is irritated, "Okay, whoever you are, we want to know who you are and why have you kidnapped us?".

"Oh Ross, I see you have awakened".

Ross recognizes that voice, "I'm tired of your games, man. What's going on?".

The man speaks in his casually calm voice, "If you come with us willingly, we will untie you and explain everything that is going on".

Riker only wants to know one thing, "Well, can you at least tell us who you are?".

"Will you come with us willingly?".

"Yes", Riker replies. Rocky looks at Riker and then back at the man, he nods. He's just as curious as Riker. They all look over to Ross, who is just glaring at the man.

Laura nudges his arm, "Ross".

He rolls his eyes, "Okay, fine, just tell us your name", he snaps.

The man then reveals his name, "My name is Jason Williams".

They all seem to relax a bit, as if some of the weight has been lifted off of their shoulders. Rocky let's out a sigh, "That's a start".

Jason then says, "We are going to to untie you, but you must behave yourselves", he looks over at Ross , singling him out, "No tricks".

Ross, rolls his eyes again, "Fine. Just please take these ropes off".

Jason goes up to each of them individually and uses a pocket knife to cut the thick rope off. They all rub their sore wrists from struggling and yanking so much. "Now, all of you, come with me". He leads them out of the room and they are suddenly in a very business-like environment. They are on the second story looking down at all the hustle going on below them. There are tons of computers and several desks. People dressed in suits and business clothes are all sitting at desks working on something, rushing around, on the phone or discussing amongst each other. All they can hear are phones ringing, keyboards being tapped on, and people talking. Rocky leans over the rail to get a better look. "What is this place?".

Jason looks down onto all of his peers and coworkers. He turns to Laura, Ross, Rocky, and Riker, "It is a government facility and you have become a very important part of it", he then turns away and leads them on. They all exchange confused expressions and continue to follow the man. They walk into a small room with a large screen. He grabs a tiny remote, points it at the screen and presses a button. Suddenly, the lights go down to a dim light and a large picture covers the screen. It's a picture of a little girl with jet black hair and very beautiful blue eyes. "This young girl has gone missing. Her name is Andrea Hammock. She is six years old and has been kidnapped".

Ross mumbles to himself, "Yeah, we know how that feels". Laura, once again, elbows him but this time in the ribs. He looks at her with a "what the hell" look. She just ignores it and continues to listen.

Rocky is quite confused, "Can't you just call the police?".

Jason clicks another button and the screen turns off and the lights come back on, "The people that took her are going to use her in an experiment".

Riker is confused just like the others, "Experiment?".

Jason, stands directly in front of them, "You see, the government has been guarding a very special substance called, Pepigel. Some people had somehow broken in, got past the guards and stole the Pepigel. They are going to use this gel to experiment how it takes effect on the human body. If it touches human skin, it can be fatal. However, if it gets warmer than 60 degrees Fahrenheit, it can cause a nuclear explosion".

"Wait", Riker tries to think through what he has just heard, "so you mean, they want to destroy the country?".

"Not just the country", Jason replies, "Most of the world".

Ross is getting more irritable by the minute, "Okay, so what does this have to do with us?"

"We have been watching you for a very long time and you are just what we need".

Rocky mumbles, "Talk about an invasion of privacy".

Riker covers up what Rocky said, "Exactly, how are we what you need?"

"You all have wit, intelligence, energy, physical ability, communication skill, just stuff like that".

"Okay, but why do you need us", Laura intervenes, "there are many others out there that have all of those abilities, too".

"Well", Jason paces to the other side of the room, "we need some young agents".

"Wait", Ross is shocked, "you mean like", he pauses, "government spies?".

Jason points directly at Ross, "Correct. I knew that once you quit being so stubborn, you would come through". Ross just stares at him blankly, dazed.

Rocky gets excited, "Ross, this is awesome! This is what you've always wanted to do!". Ross, just continues to stare.

"Ross", Riker is waiting for a response, "aren't you excited?".

Ross is almost speechless, "Well- but- now that it's actually happening- I".

"Why us? Why not Ryland and Rydel?" Riker asks.

"Or Vanessa?" Laura follows.

"Like I said", Jason starts, "You have everything we think some young agents would need. We didn't find all of the necessary skills in your other siblings. We chose you".

Something comes to Laura and she asks immediately, "Wait, the little girl's last name is Hammock, as in, President Hammock?".

"Yes".

Laura gasps, "They kidnapped the president's daughter!?".

"Yes", Jason says, "So are you guys up for it?". They all exchange looks, skeptically. They all have different expressions, so Riker, being the oldest, answers first.

"Well, this girl does need help", he thinks for a second, "I'm in".

Rocky continues to think about this huge decision. He makes up his mind, "Okay then, I'm game". Laura nods. Ross, however, doesn't understand how they could make up their minds so quickly on such a huge proposal. He then questions Jason, "What if I were to say no?".

Riker snaps at him, "Ross!".

Jason puts his head down, closes his eyes, and shakes his head. Then he smiles at Ross and looks rather amused, "Ah, Ross", he puts his arm around Ross' shoulders, "We thought that you would be more cooperative if we asked you so you wouldn't feel forced but,", he looks at him, "You have to".

Ross looks unamused at the wall, "Somehow, I saw that coming".

"Okay great!" Jason gives Ross a pat on the back, "You guys will report to training tomorrow morning. Everything you need for the next few weeks is here".

"Wait", Ross is getting angry now, "You mean, we can't even go home!?".

Rocky jumps in, "What about our families? They are probably worried sick about us?".

"You will be allowed to call them every night", Jason assures them.

"Well may we have our phones back?" Laura asks.

"Those phones will no longer be of use to you", he pulls four phones out of his pockets, "These phones are your new phones. They are restricted so they can't call you back and they can't track your location". He hands each of the boys a small black phone and hands Laura a small silver phone. "You MUST NOT tell them what's going on. This is top secret government business", he then turns to Ross, " You MUST NOT tell ANYONE". Ross responds with a glare. Ignoring Ross' reaction, "It is late, so we will be taking you to your rooms now", he leads them out of the room and down a few hallways. It looks nice, almost like hotel hallways. They approach a door and unlocks it, "This is the boys room", he leads them into a huge room with three full beds, a large bathroom with towels, hygienic supplies and a nice shower, they each have a small dresser, each filled with a variety of clothing, and there is a closet set with three shelves of shoes, a shelf for each of them.

Riker looks around the room, "Wow, this is nicer than I thought it would be".

Rocky nods in agreement, "It's almost like a suite".

"Make yourselves at home", Jason shuts their door and turns to Laura, "and for you Ms. Marano", he takes her to a room that is smaller than the boys room, but not too much. It has a queen sized bed, a nice bathroom, a dresser with clothing in it, a closet, and a night stand with a lamp on it, "This is your room".

Laura checks out the room and nods in approval, "It's not my apartment, but it's nice".

Jason smiles at her, "Enjoy", he goes to close the door.

"Wait", he turns to Laura, "What about dinner and meals?".

"Dinner will be coming shortly", he turns to leave, "oh", turns back to face her, "I'm sorry, but you may not go into the boys' room at anytime and they may not come into yours. Also, you will not be allowed to leave your room after 10:00 pm.".

Laura sighs, "Alright". Jason steps out of her door and closes it behind him. He is then approached my one of his men.

"So do you honestly think that this is going to work?".

Jason nods, "They are just what we need", they begin walking down the hallway, "but that Ross is going to be a handful. Getting him to cooperate without arguing is going to be like breaking a wild horse, and that's why he is exactly what we need".


End file.
